How Raw Foods Work For Me
There is a huge debate going on in the raw food community right now about how to eat. Do you eat a 100% raw diet? 50% raw? Do you include cooked food, should you eat meat? Can you thrive on a 100% raw food diet? Have I failed if I am not 100%? Can I get any benefit if I only include small amounts of raw?
I find it all exhausting. Take another step back and include all of the information we get bombarded with on a daily basis from the food industry that is misleading and inaccurate, how is a person supposed to figure out how to eat? I have a suggestion. Become aware of what your body needs.
Everyone has a different constitution. You need to find out what works for your constitution. I have become very aware of what works for me. In the summer, I eat almost 100% raw. In the winter, I like to supplement with cooked food, but in a very specific way which I will talk about a little later. I am finding that this works for me. Do I stick to it all the time? No. And here is where it becomes interesting. When ever I do deviate, my body rebels, instantly.
Your body speaks to you, all the time. But you need to become aware and figure out how to listen. If you know my back story, I waited until my body was screaming at me. Shortness of breath, horrible acid reflux, weight gain, sore swollen joints and fatigue were all symptoms that I was experiencing from the way I was eating. I knew I needed a drastic change and I made one. I went 100% raw. Luckily, it was summer and many wonderful raw foods were available.
Here is what happened. I felt amazing. I lost weight. All of my symptoms went away. It was fantastic and it gave me a really good set point for how I could feel. I kept up pretty much a 90-100% raw diet for quite a while. It was amazing. Then some interesting things happened. The first thing was that I started missing some of the food that I was used to. Cooked food. I also was having trouble navigating social events such as dinner at friends, or eating out. Lastly, winter hit. I found myself craving warm, cooked food.
I went though quite a few “ups and downs”, good food times and bad food times. I have finally figured out what works for me. But before I go into that, what I really want to stress is that I had to figure out what it felt like to really feel good, before I could realize when I wasn’t. Make sense?
Once I cleaned out, after I was actually raw for a period of time, I created a set point. A point where I felt great. So, now when I eat food that isn’t optimal for me, my body tells me immediately. So my first and most important suggestion is to clean your diet up. Spend some time getting off of all processed food, grains, and refined sugars. Really up your raw food percentage and eat very clean for at least 21 days. See how it feels. Remember how it feels. Use that as your base line. (Check back in March, we will be doing a 21 day cleanse.) Learn how to listen to your body.
What works for me? 90-100% raw in the summer, with some supplemented cooked food in the winter. When I say supplemented, I don’t mean a completely cooked meal. I mean a meal that is mostly raw with some cooked thrown in for warmth and that hearty feel. Even in the dead of the winter, I don’t feel good consuming a completely cooked meal. Which makes sense because I love raw foods so much!
jerrine verkaik wrote on February 7, 2011
Great encouraging post. Since I live in Canada, I, too, feel the need for some cooked food in the winter. I also eat some (wild caught) fish, finding it necessary because grains, even when sprouted, can give me trouble. A small piece of fish helps satisfy my hunger when vegetables and nuts/seeds aren’t enough. I find that it’s enough to cut veggies thin enough that they can be barely warmed in a stirfry pan, thus losing very little nutritional value. But when I lok at my colourful plate beside those bland meat and potatoes plates so many people dish up I feel healthier even before I take a bite!
Molly wrote on February 7, 2011
Thank you for confirming that even if I do not stay 100% raw I’m not a failure. It can be so difficult not to lay a huge guilt trip on myself because I chose to eat nachos at the super bowl party. Thank you. I really appreciate you!
Toni wrote on February 7, 2011
Amazing and so true post! Thank you for providing real, honest information that people can understand. I love your website and all of you amazing recipes!
Mindy wrote on February 7, 2011
It’s so true…once you get a taste of how good it feels to eat clean (baselilne), then it’s easy to want to come back to that place if you fall off the wagon. Susan, thanks for the great post! I love your approach:)
Birit Trematore wrote on February 7, 2011
When people find out I eat a raw diet they always assume I mean 100%. When it comes out that I do include some cooked foods it almost weakens my arguement for raw. I have to stress the foods I do include.. corn tortillas toasted in coconut oil, quinoa, quinoa pasta. I’m not adding in chicken wings, for example.
I love the idea of getting people to experience what it’s like to feel really, really good. As a Pilates instructor I’m always waiting for people to get to that wonderful point at the beginning of an exercise program where they start to feel energized, strong and light on their feet. Same idea.
Susan, what are some of the cooked foods you add into your diet to get that wintertime warm comfort?
Susan wrote on February 7, 2011
I will supplement with beans, some grains, and some cooked veggies along with raw ones. My transitional recipes (80% raw) are a great example of how I mix it up. Interesting how you say that when you add cooked food it “weakens” your argument for raw. People are always looking for an excuse to point fingers.
Amy Oscar wrote on February 7, 2011
I loved this post, Susan. I lost 45 pounds on a low carb diet and, though I felt better, I still had health issues. When I started eating 50% raw – after reading your posts – it was like the lights went on. I loved the taste and textures of the foods. Food tasted like food again – brighter, more vital. Plus I feel better about the way that my food choices impact the world. Keep doing what you’re doing. It matters – and it’s making a difference.
Cliff Champion wrote on February 7, 2011
Absolutely… the dogmatism and judgment that people have about something that is SUPPOSED to be so positive is astonishing. We need to do what is right for ourselves! No one knows you better than yourself. I appreciate this post!
Susan wrote on February 6, 2011
So, interesting, the debate. I listened after I wrote this post. They did reinforce that we need to find out what works for our bodies, so that was great. There was some interesting information but everything gets so confusing sometimes. It is one of the reasons that I get ornery when people say they have THE answer. We all have to find our answers.
Mindy wrote on February 6, 2011
Great post. I was just on FB. A friend was commenting on the so-called “Great Health Debates” that are going on right now, and how disappointing the first one was tonight. I commented that I wasn’t into listening to these debates at all, because I feel like we give too much power away to experts, and then they themselves change their opinions all the time anyway. I went on to say that my personal emphasis was on eating vegan for ethical reasons, and beyond that, learning to really listen and pay attention to how my body responds after each meal or snack. Not taking a ton of time to mull it over, just taking a few moments to take note, and use that feedback to guide me in the future. I think we are not really in touch with our own bodies at all. We just want someone else to tell us what to do, it seems easier, But the only easy thing is to do what you say, and learn to listen and read the book of our own body.